Your Mummy-Tummy Shrink-Down Plan

These easy-to-instill practices will get you smiling at your skinnies again.

Aug 21, 2012

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You've had a kid — maybe two — and now the idea of mom jeans is starting to seem less laugh-at-funny and more, dare we say it, practical. Before you start "hiking up" of any kind, hold it right there. These easy-to-instill practices will get you smiling at your skinnies again. Additional reporting by Ava Feuer.

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Log your meals, snacks and drinks

First and foremost, stop feeling bad about those extra five pounds. They represent your role as a mom — and that's a good thing — but if you're feeling unhealthy, start by writing down what you eat. It will give you a baseline for what you're consuming, and hold you accountable to the most important person of all — yourself. You can use a notebook, your calendar, or sparkpeople.com — it's free to join, and their calorie counter comes in handy revealing for the truth about your food intake. (You can also use their tools to find out how many total calories your body needs.)

Stay away from artificial sweeteners, gum (you swallow air as you chew), foods high in sodium or sugar, and carbonated beverages like soda and even seltzer — which can make you gassy, warns Stephanie Middleberg, R.D.

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Justin Lightley

Eat your veggies

You may be thinking so hard about getting your kids to eat their veggies that you've forgotten to work good-for-you greens into your meals. Bring them back now — they're fiber-rich, so you'll feel fuller longer. At lunch and dinner, fill up half your plate with veggies; make the other side a mix of lean protein and whole grains.

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Have breakfast

"The idea is to spread calories throughout the day," says J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D., a researcher for the National Weight Control Registry. "If you don't eat all day and you have your first meal when you're starving, you're likely to eat way too much." The best option for belly fat: eggs. A 2008 study in the International Journal of Obesity showed that over eight weeks, those who ate eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight than those who started their days with bagels.

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Limit your portions

Between work, kids, friends, and your husband, you're always on-the-go. As a good night's sleep becomes a thing of the past, and you become increasingly crazed, your hunger hormones kick into high gear, and your body cries out for bigger portions. To keep your appetite in check, stay away from too many carbs, which fill you up fast but leave you starving soon after. When you balance out whole grains with lean proteins and healthy fats, it'll be at least a little easier to keep your portions in check.

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Skip so-called "diet" foods

It can be tempting to go back to your old diet-y ways, swapping in sugar-free soda, rice cakes and other manufactured diet foods, but while they might produce short-term weight loss, it's unsustainable — not to mention when you're eating them, you start having all these random cravings for things like the Birthday Cake Pops at Starbucks.

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Brooke Parkhurst & James Briscione

Don't count calories

Instead, opt for fresh produce over anything in a plastic wrapper, and be aware of how much you're eating. "The majority of us tend to underestimate how many calories we consume," says Middleberg. "And it's easy to lose sight of personal hunger cues: Say, for example, that you're aiming to stay at 1,800 calories a day. You might be full after dinner but when you know you have 200 calories left in your 'budget,' you may feel compelled to eat more when your body doesn't really need it."

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Paul Burns

Make workout-time family-time, too

"I use my kids as fitness accessories," reveals Marcella Wilson, 40. "I found a mommy-and-me class that my 2-year-old twins love. Since there are two of them, I take my sister with me and we use the kids as weights. It's a workout lifting those babies." Or, bust out the Wii in lieu of board games on family game-night.

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Keep calcium levels up

Research shows that low calcium levels can trigger the same hormone that causes the body to hold onto fat to be released. Nutritionist and author of Bread is the Devil Heather Bauer, RD, CDN suggest opting for low-fat dairy such as cheese, yogurt, salmon, tofu, and oatmeal.

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Eat constantly

Picking off your toddler's plate isn't all bad — if it's the right snack. "Not providing your body with food is a surefire way to slow down its basic functions," says Bauer. "Choose high-fiber, high-protein snacks like low-fat cheese, fiber crackers, fruits, veggies, or Greek yogurt. Starving your body will sabotage all of your dieting efforts." For more little bites that won't go straight to your midsection, check out our favorite sub-150-calories snacks.

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Target abs and glutes with the bridge

Introducing light, resistance training exercises into your daily routine will build muscle and in turn speed up your metabolism. Staying by laying on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground and arms at your sides. Take a deep breath and pull your belly button in. As you exhale, slowly tip your pelvis up so that your upper body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders, as shown. Hold for two beats; take another deep breath, then exhale and slowly roll back down. Do 10 reps every day for a week, then 20 reps per week going forward.

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Target deep abdominals with the modified hundred

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground and arms at your sides, as shown. Take a deep breath and pull your stomach muscles in. As you exhale, slowly lift your neck and head off the floor, extending your arms on either side of your legs, as shown. Be sure to keep your stomach muscles pulled in. Hold for two beats, then take another deep breath and slowly lower yourself as you exhale. Do 10 reps every day for a week, then 20 reps per week going forward.

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Pull post-baby stomach muscles together with the flat-belly fly

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground. Lift your legs one at a time so that your calves are at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Place one hand on your belly and the other arm at your side, palm down, as shown. Pull your stomach muscles in and with a slow, smooth movement, open your legs as far as you can without puffing your belly out; slowly close your legs. Do 10 reps every day for a week, then 20 reps per week going forward.

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Robert Deutschman

Eat, sleep and be merry

Multiple studies have proven that those who sleep six to eight hours a night and keep stress levels as low as possible have the best luck when it comes to weight loss. When you're living life in a relaxed, calm state, levels of grehlin (the hunger hormones) decrease, and those of leptin, which cause you to feel full, rise. We haven't heard of a better excuse for a spa day yet!

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